Monks Meditating in Caves

洞窟で瞑想僧侶 (Dōkutsu de meisō sōryo)

Buddhist monks are known to meditate in caves. There is one legend concerning the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma, also known in Japan as Daruma and the Daruma Dolls. According to that legend, Bodhidharma gained a reputation for, among other things, his practice of wall-gazing. He sat facing a cave wall in meditation for a period of nine years without moving, which caused his legs to fall off from atrophy. Another popular legend was that after falling asleep during his nine-year meditation he became angry with himself and cut off his eyelids to avoid ever falling asleep again. Accordingly, the Japanese Daruma dolls have big eyes (no eye lids) and no arms or legs. The Daruma dolls have also come to represent "perseverence" because of his extreme determination. See "Daruma Dolls". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2014-12-12.